The sports world is hardly immune to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but newly drafted Houston Texans tackle Charlie Heck won’t let those factors stop him.
The former North Carolina Tar Heel, who the Texans took 126th overall in Round 4 of the 2020 NFL Draft, believes that a player must make the most of his circumstances, not succumb to them, even if they are as far reaching as the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s just about making the most of the opportunity that you have,” Heck told reporters on April 25. “Nobody can change what’s going on right now, so it’s just taking advantage of what I can control. That’s just me working on myself, bettering myself any way I can. That’s really what I’ve been doing during this.”
The 6-8, 315-pound offensive tackle wants to add on a little weight before he joins the Texans, about 10 pounds or so. So far, Heck has been working out plenty on his own.
“There’s been a lot of home gym workouts,” Heck said. “It’s been everything from prescribed workouts from my brother, who’s a strength coach at UNC, to riding my mom’s Peloton bike down in the basement. So, it’s been everything. Luckily I’ve been in the position to have a pretty good home gym, so I’ve been able to really kind of stay in shape.”
Aside from home workouts, where his father, Andy Heck, is the offensive line coach for the Kansas City Chiefs, Heck has gone to empty fields and going through his sets.
Coach and general manager Bill O’Brien indicated that Heck is mostly a tackle and they don’t have any real plans to play him at guard. If this trajectory holds, then Heck will battle Roderick Johnson, who was brought back on a one-year contract, for the swing tackle position behind starters Laremy Tunsil at left tackle and Tytus Howard at right tackle.
